by Rev. Christopher Hall He formed our inward parts. He knitted us in our mothers womb (Ps. 139:13). God has created each and every person. But God creates and forms the inward parts of every insect, each and every bird, each and every microbe. What makes human life sacred? What makes Christians defend the born

How can we encourage religious literacy in our homes, schools and neighborhoods? Find out how to cultivate your curiosity about God and His work on your behalf. by Rev. Travis J. Scholl I am convinced by Stephen Prothero’s thesisstated most notably in his book Religious Literacy that we live in a society that is religiously illiterate

Richard Wetzel, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologista neuropsychologist with a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

I wholeheartedly agree with President Harrison’s point that we need Advent and its message of repentance (December 2011). Rev. Karl A. FrinckeFort Wayne, Ind.   Read More Letters to the Editor Send letters to Letters, c/o The Lutheran Witness, 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295; or send them via e-mail to Lutheran.Witness@LCMS.org.

Thank you for the magnificent artwork on the cover and pages 1013 of the December issue. The unique poetic meditation by Pastor Neugebauer was excellent, particularly linked with the artwork of He Qi. Can you feature more of his work in a future issue? Thank you again. Christmas was made more blessed for me because

I love The Lutheran Witness magazine. The articles are great, and the illustrations are great. I would like to know the artist or photographer who did the pictures for the December issue on the article “A King Pronounced.” They are so vibrant, and to me, the colors would be so like the night our Savior

I found the brief article “Building a Liturgical Church” (December 2011) very interesting. Mr. Melde is correct that it is near impossible to replicate the art and masonry of past eras. However, LCMS congregations might want to explore church antique dealers and other groups that rescue and restore organs, stained glass, altars, pulpits, fonts, and

Residential seminary education provides a wealth of opportunities for future pastors.

Two LCMS educators explain the philosophy behind a distinctly Lutheran education.

by Jill Hasstedt I was impressed when I visited the home of another young mother. Though her children were just toddlers, she had placed simply printed labels on items all over her house. Every day, she was teaching them new vocabulary and letter recognition using engaging activities and alphabet-themed snacks. Her goals were for enrichment

by Dr. James M. Tallmon Roughly 20 years ago, a group of homeschoolers, inspired by British novelist Dorothy Sayers’ “The Lost Tools of Learning,” set out to apply the Sayers model to educating their children. A little more than a decade ago, a group of Missouri Synod educators, impressed by that movement but wanting to